Mated Circle
by Elmblossom17
Summary: Kagome frees a trapped fairy, and in return it grants her wish. But Kagome's wish is one that will change everything... Kagome's wish is to become a youkai! IYKag, eventual IYKagKouga
1. The Fairy

Mated Circle

10/22/'04

**Chapter One: The Fairy**

Kagome sighed and hitched the strap of her bathing bag higher up on her shoulder as she walked quickly down the path that led from Kaede's village to the nearby river, where she was going to have a bath. It had been almost a week since she had last had a chance to get a really good bath, and she felt dirty and smelly from the long days of traveling with her fellow Shikon shard hunters. For once she was alone, unlike most of her bathing times, when she would go with her best friend the taijiya Sango, and sometimes her unofficially adopted son the kitsune cub Shippo. Today, however, she was by her lonesome, as Sango was busy honing the blade of her katana and Shippo was playing with some of the village children.

Kagome sighed happily as she reached the river bank. She swiftly shucked her rather bedraggled modern-day school uniform and stepped into the cold water of the river. She grabbed a bottle of strawberry-scented herbal shampoo from her bag of bath supplies and quickly lathered her wet raven-colored locks. Ducking her head beneath the surface of the water, she rinsed the white foam out of her long black hair, and then rose up out of the water again, smiling at the thought of having clean hair once more.

Just then, Kagome heard a high-pitched scream. Her head shot up, eyes widening, as she looked around in an attempt to locate the source of the fear-filled shriek. She didn't see anything, but a moment later the scream came again. Something about that sound tugged at Kagome's heartstrings, and she jumped out of the river and quickly wrapped a towel securely around her body to hide her nudity. Then she began to hurry in the direction the scream had sounded like it came from.

She searched fruitlessly for several hectic minutes, finding nothing, until suddenly another scream sounded from a bush in the shadow of a great old tree just a few yards away. Kagome hurriedly went over to see what it was doing the screaming, and to her surprise she found a small purple being that reminded Kagome of a fairy. It was about as tall as her hand, and had shimmering lavender wings, iridescent and shining. She couldn't tell whether it was male or female, or if it was either. It seemed to see her, and began chittering at her in a high-pitched voice in no language she understood. But she understood the tone of its voice well enough- pained, pleading, urgent.

"Shhhh!" said the young schoolgirl. "Hold on a minute, and I'll get you out of there!" She pleaded with the little purple creature. Miraculously, it seemed to understand her and quieted down, ceasing its fruitless struggles to untangle itself. Kagome waited a moment and then reached into the bush to try and gingerly untangle the fairy-thing from the thorny branches.

A few minutes and some bloodied fingers later, Kagome managed to free the tiny lavender being. Once she had it out, she looked it over closely to see if it was injured, but she saw no signs of injuries. So she smiled and opened her hands wide to release it. "There you go! You're free now!" she cheerfully told the little spirit.

Immediately the tiny purple creature flew up out of Kagome's hands and then did a spiraling dive towards the ground, swooping up again just as it was about to reach the ground. Kagome watched with a smile as the small lavender being flew around, seemingly reveling in the joy of freedom and flight. It emitted a high-pitched chirping sound that resembled laughter.

Suddenly the little purple creature flew down and hovered in front of Kagome's face. Then, startling her, it spoke- in a squeaky, tiny little voice, but in perfect Japanese. "Many thanks, many thanks, large one!" chittered the small being.

"Oh, um, sure," Kagome stuttered, shocked. "It was my pleasure!" she smiled at the strange, lavender-skinned thing.

"You have done me a great favor, large one," squeaked the fairy-creature. "I am Kimiko, of the Fuujiiro Yousei tribe! It is my great honor to repay your kindness to me with the gift of one wish!" It giggled and spun in place, then did a stylized rendition of a bow. It then clapped its small hands together, and a 'pouf' of light purple smoke drifted up from its clasped hands, where a beautiful necklace had appeared from nowhere. It was a silver pendant shaped like a full moon with a large, perfect amethyst in the center, hanging from a delicate, finely-wrought silver chain. "To you also I give this necklace, that all might know you have been blessed by one of the Fuujiiro Yousei!"

Kagome graciously accepted the necklace and put it around her neck. "Thank you, Kimiko. You said you would grant me a wish? May I ask what kind of wish you could grant?"

Kimiko seemed to sparkle with happiness. "Only wishes pertaining directly to yourself, your body, or your soul. I cannot affect anyone else- I cannot make someone fall in love with you, or bring someone back from the dead, for instance," it twittered. "I can manifest solid objects, but only those weighing less than twenty-five pounds total, or massing up to fifty kilograms. I cannot create living, sentient creatures such as humans or youkai, but I can create beings of less than sentient intelligence, such as lesser demons or animals. And I am prohibited from granting wishes that displease the Kami-samas." It bowed again, seeming apologetic at its limitations.

"Of course," murmured Kagome thoughtfully. "That makes sense. May I take a moment to think it over?"

"Certainly," Kimiko squeaked. "Take as much time as you need, for once the wish is granted I may not undo it."

Kagome nodded at the fairy's words and began thinking hard. She mulled over her choice for some time, pondering a great many options, until finally she realized what she wanted to do. She smiled widely and looked Kimiko in the eyes, and then stated her wish in a strong, unwavering voice. "I wish to be a demon like Inuyasha, Shippo and Kouga!"

Kimiko's entire body seemed to glow a bright purple as Kagome made her wish. The young miko heard the fairy's squeaky voice proclaim, "So mote it be!" And then she was overcome by a wave of excruciating sensation. The strange feeling grew and grew until finally it overwhelmed her, and she fell to the ground, unconscious.

Kimiko fluttered over Kagome's body until the transformation was complete, and then stooped down to place its tiny hands against the amethyst on her pendant. It spoke one word, "Kikiireru!" in a commanding tone, and a flash of purple light entered the amethyst and then died down to an ember glow. Then Kimiko smiled one last time at the newly-transformed mixed-breed demoness, and flew away into the forest.

Kagome woke with a groan, feeling a strange sensation lingering throughout her body. At first she did not remember what had happened to leave her unconscious and half-naked on the ground. Then she felt the weight of the fairy's necklace hanging from her neck and remembered what had happened- and her wish. Eager to see the changes Kimiko's magick had wrought, she quickly got to her feet and rushed back through the forest to the nearby river where she had been bathing. Then she knelt at the water's edge and stared, enraptured, down at her unfamiliar reflection.

The changes were many, but she was still recognizably herself. Her hair, previously completely raven black, was now longer and finer, and had gained streaks of silvery-white, strawberry-red, and chocolate brown. It was topped by a pair of large, fluffy fox ears, with fur in a prettily marbled calico pattern composed of white, black, red, and brown fur combined. Her gray-blue eyes had gained specks of emerald green, gold, and brown, making them appear hazel from a distance. Their pupils had also become slitted like a cat's. Her teeth had grown into small but respectably razor-sharp fangs, and her nails had thickened and lengthened into respectable claws. Below, emerging from the end of her tailbone was a bushy, fluffy calico-patterned tail, long and sleek like a wolf's but with the fox's characteristic pure-white tip.

All her senses were considerably sharpened, and she could hear, and see, and smell, and even feel things she had never before noticed. She could smell and hear the movements of little forest creatures coming from all around her, and feel the caress of the air against her nearly-bare skin. Looking down past the surface of the river, her eagle-sharp eyes could pick out the tiniest details on the pebbles lying beneath the rushing waters. She looked up again, and could pick out the spots on a ladybug's back from all the way across the river. Everything seemed louder, brighter, sharper, and much more intense; she had no idea the difference between the senses of a human and those of a youkai were so pronounced. She now sharply regretted all the times she had shouted in Inuyasha's ears, and sympathized with his troubles with strong scents.

She had to wonder what kinds of youkai powers she had gained. She looked down at her claws and imagined swiping them through the air to create Inuyasha's _Sankon Tetsusou_ effect, or bringing forth Shippo's _Kitsunebi_. Already she could feel that she was stronger, and she had more energy than she had ever had before. Her miko powers seemed closer to the surface, as well; not so deeply hidden or hard to access, either. Sighing, Kagome guessed she would have to find out about her new abilities later, with the help of her friends.

Speaking of her friends, Kagome decided it was time to go and tell them what had happened...as soon as she was dressed again, anyway!


	2. Kagome's Transformation Revealed

Mated Circle

10/28/'04

**Chapter Two: Kagome's Transformation Revealed**

Kagome quickly made her way from the river's edge where she had been bathing before she had been distracted by the sounds of a creature in distress back to Kaede's village, where the group of Shard-Hunters were currently in residence between hunts. She scurried along through the village, ignoring the gasps of the villagers who saw her transformed state, heading for the old miko's home, where she knew her friends were likely to be hanging out. Well, Kaede, Shippo and Sango were probably there; Miroku as well, but it was also possible that the hentai houshi was off somewhere meditating- or flirting with the village girls, most of whom knew better than to take him seriously by this time. Inuyasha might be there, but it was equally likely that he was off somewhere pondering the life of a hanyou.

She came up on the kindly old lady's hut faster than she thought she would, and approached her home-away-from-home with no small amount of trepidation. Would her friends recognize her? Would they accept her changes? Would they be pleased?

Finally, she stood outside the miko's hut and took a deep breath to fortify herself. Then, she pushed aside the curtain-door and stepped inside, looking around to see if anyone was there. "Kaede? Hello? Is anybody home?" she called out, noticing as she did so that her voice had changed slightly, becoming smoother and more melodic than it had been, as well as slightly deeper. "Helloooo? It's me, Kagome! I'm back!"

A moment later she was rewarded by the voice of her mentor, calling from the herb-storage room at the back of the hut. "Kagome, child, is that ye? Ye sound strange...."

"It's me, Kaede. Something's happened, and I've changed, but I'm still Kagome," the younger miko assured her old friend. "I think you'd better come out and see for yourself...."

"Well, alright," Kaede replied, "but I don't see why-" As the older woman stepped out into the main room of the hut and saw her transformed protégé, she stopped speaking in shock. "Kagome? Is it truly ye, my child?"

"It's me, Kaede," Kagome assured her with a toothy, sheepish smile. "There was this fairy, and it was stuck, and I helped it, and it said it would grant my wish, and so I wished to be a youkai like Inuyasha and Shippo and Kouga, and so here I am!" She spread her arms wide as if to show off her new body. "What do you think?"

The older miko gaped at the mixed-breed demoness. "Kagome! You are- you have- this is just...." Her voice faded out and she leaned heavily against the wall, the shock apparently taxing her tired old heart.

"Kaede, maybe you should sit down," Kagome suggested, eying the grandmotherly woman nervously. "You don't look so well."

"And ye, my child, ye look like... a youkai," Kaede retorted, nevertheless taking the younger woman's advice and lowering herself to sit by the fire pit in the center of the room. "Do ye still have your miko abilities?"

"I think so," Kagome replied, unsurely. "I'm not positive, but I think I can still feel them- actually, I think they're stronger than they were before." She frowned, focusing on the sacred powers lying, eager to be called forth, in her soul. She looked down at her hands, feeling that power, and attempted to focus it within her hands. Within moments, she had called forth a brilliant blue-white light that outlined her hands like an aura. She looked up and met her teacher's eyes, smiling proudly. "Look! I've never been able to do this before!"

But before Kaede could reply, the two mikos were interrupted by the sudden arrival of Shippo, Sango, and Miroku, who came rushing into Kaede's hut, all talking at once about the strange presence they had sensed. All three froze, silenced by their shock, as they noticed the strange youkai with glowing hands standing across the room. Shippo, emerald eyes wider than Kagome had ever seen them, was the first to break the tense silence. "Ka- Kagome-chan? Is- is that y-you?" he stuttered fearfully.

"Yes, Shippo-chan, it's me," Kagome reassured the small kitsune. She was slightly distracted, however, by the influx of scents that had entered at the same time as her friends. One of them in particular had caught her attention. She sniffed lightly, trying to catch more of the fascinating scent.

"Kagome-chan?" repeated Sango, stunned. "Kagome, how- what-" The taijiya sputtered to a halt, her eyes bugging out in bewilderment.

"Hmmm," Kagome replied, distractedly. That scent was tantalizing her, calling her to search it out.

"Kagome helped a fairy, and in turn was granted a wish," Kaede supplied helpfully.

"A fairy?" Miroku repeated, frowning with concentration.

"Kimiko of the Fuujiro Yousei tribe," Kagome offered, turning her head slightly from side to side in an attempt to track that scent that was taunting her, almost singing to her to be found and savored. "I wished to be a youkai like Inuyasha and Shippo and Kouga," she added absently.

"L-like me?" squeaked the tiny kit.

"Huh," Kagome mumbled, her entire being suddenly focused on Shippo. She dropped artlessly to her knees, and then approached the young fox-demon on all fours, following that wonderful scent that she had so quickly become obsessed with. The others were shocked silent by her fluid, almost feral grace; but she paid them no mind, being completely lost in the instincts demanding she track that scent to its source.

Kagome halted with her face only inches from her surrogate son's. She sniffed at him, scenting all over his face and upper body, drawing his unique personal scent deep into her nasal cavities and into her brain. Something deep inside her blossomed and unfurled into a powerful, demanding feeling, nearly overwhelming in its intensity.

Finally the mixed-breed demoness stopped and stared into the kit's huge emerald-green eyes for a long, silent moment. Then she smiled, and nuzzled the side of her face against his, letting out a low 'woof' sound that made Shippo's tail floof out like a balloon. He yipped in reply, his tone high and questioning. His eyes began to fill with tears, and his chin wobbled.

Kagome responded by sitting up on her haunches and taking him into her arms, drawing him close, and cuddling him against her so that his head was tucked neatly under her chin. One hand held him gently in place, while the other stroked tenderly over his hair, back, and tail. She let out a sharp, commanding bark, and then looked up and met the eyes of the three humans who had watched the whole strange event in bewildered silence. "My kit," she said clearly, and then bared her fangs in a blatant threat to any who dared to challenge her claim. "My son."

"Of course," Miroku was the first to respond. His calm acceptance seemed to mollify Kagome, and she gave him a toothy smile before her attention was once more completely diverted to her kit. The houshi met the eyes of his taijiya companion, and nodded once. The young lady exterminator smiled slightly and nodded in reply, her eyes drawn back to the touching scene of mother and child.

Kaede spoke up next. "Congratulations, my child," she said kindly, offering a smile with her words. Kagome spared her a quick smile in reply, before her eyes were drawn once more to her child. The old miko shook her head, chuckling under her breath.

Moments later the touching tableau was disrupted by the sudden and abrupt entrance of the half-dog-demon Inuyasha, his blade _Tetsusaiga_ drawn and ready. He came bursting into the hut, sword held high ready for battle. "Oi, babaa! I smelled a strange demon- what the f'ck is goin' on in here?!" His golden eyes went wide with disbelief when they fell on the strange demoness cuddling the youngest member of his oddball pack, while the remainder looked on without acting. Then he took a second, longer look at her, and his next words shocked most everyone present. "Ka-go-me...?" he said slowly, his voice portraying his surprise and confusion perfectly. "Ka-_go_-me...." he repeated, his voice becoming slightly raspy. The _Tetsusaiga_ dropped from his nerveless fingers, making a loud 'clang!' when it hit the wooden floor. "Whatin'ell happened to _you_?" he finally managed to say.

"Well, there was this fairy...."


	3. Inner Thoughts of the Inugumi

Mated Circle

10/30/'04

**Chapter Three: Inner Thoughts of the Inu-gumi**

Kagome knelt next to the fire pit in Kaede's hut, clutching Shippo to her tightly. She was almost afraid to look up and meet the inu-hanyou's intense golden eyes, afraid of what she would see there. Then, suddenly, her trepidation turned to indignation as she realized how dependant she had become on Inuyasha's opinions.

_'I didn't make this wish to please Inuyasha,'_ Kagome thought indignantly. _'I made it so that I could be stronger, so I wouldn't be so much of a burden to the group, so that I wouldn't always need someone to come to my rescue.... Well, and so that I could really be Shippo's mama. I know he's been fond of me since he started traveling with us, but... I've almost been afraid to really think of him as my son. I think I was afraid of being a bad mother, of doing a bad job taking care of him. And I was being selfish- I wanted to think of myself as a schoolgirl, a young girl. Not a woman with a child to take care of. But I am Shippo's caregiver, whether it fits into my plans or not. He looks to me for comfort and reassurance, and love. And I do love him.'_ The young mixed-breed demoness smiled maternally, gently smoothing her hand over her child's soft red hair. _'This is only making it official.'_

Shippo, meanwhile, was content to cuddle against his Kagome-mama and bask in the warmth and love he felt radiating from her. The young kitsune was very much devoted to his adopted mother, and adored her with the intensity of a child's love. He was ecstatic that she had claimed him as her own kit in youkai fashion in front of the pack, even defending her claim against any challengers. He had long wanted nothing more than that exact event to occur, and now his fondest dream seemed to be coming true.

His Kagome-mama was a youkai now, and at least part kitsune- he could tell from her scent, which carried inu and ookami youkai blood, as well as her original human scent which had always reminded the little fox of sakura blossoms and spring rains; but the fact that she was part fox meant a lot to him, especially because it was by her own choice. _'My Kagome-mama loves me,'_ he thought blissfully, a soft purr beginning to rumble in his chest from the dreamy pleasure of her stroking his hair and tail. That was all he needed to know.

Miroku warily eyed the temperamental hanyou in the doorway, rather nervous at the young half-demon's shocked reaction. The fact that he had been surprised enough to drop his sword was somewhat worrying to the hentai houshi, who remembered all too well the terror of the times when his friend had lost himself to his full-demon blood. He wasn't sure if emotional upset could induce the same reaction, and he had no desire to find out first hand.

Kagome, on the other hand, didn't worry him so much. She seemed content to be what she had become, even if it was vastly different from what she had been before. He didn't know her exact motivations for wishing what she had, but he felt sure it was at least in part due to her love for the white-haired hanyou, even if she did not realize it herself. He wondered what consequences to Kagome's wish they would discover in the future.

He had no doubt that there would indeed be consequences, and he only hoped they would be able to weather them and come out whole on the other side. He especially hoped that Kagome's wish would not bring her pain, for he cared deeply for the young miko from the future. She was as dear to him as if she had been his own sister, even if he never told her so, and he did not wish to see her bright, loving spirit weighed down and crushed by the hurts and cruelty of the real world.

Sango smiled outwardly but inwardly she screamed. She could not fathom why a girl as pure and good as Kagome would ever choose to taint herself with the blood of demons. Sango knew that her feelings were somewhat irrational and illogical as well. But she had grown up in the ways of the taijiya, and they were demon exterminators, and very prejudiced against the monsters they hunted. Since coming to know Inuyasha, Shippo, and certain other youkai she had met in her travels with the gang of shard-hunters, Sango had realized that she was perhaps unfairly biased against youkai; obviously, they were not _all_ evil, greedy, blood-thirsty monsters. But still she felt that they were not as worthwhile as humans in general.

Sango knew that Kagome did not share her feelings on the subject, and so she did not speak of them with the girl from the future, knowing that her unkind words would only wound the softhearted, sometimes naive girl. Kagome was sweet and gentle, and inclined to believe the best of anyone and everyone, regardless of their race or status. And she knew that it was on Kagome's sufferance that she had been welcomed and accepted by the hanyou and the kitsune as easily as she had, even if the untrained miko herself didn't realize it. Kagome was a wonderful person, and Sango never wanted to lose her friendship or her trust. So she swore to herself that she would never let the girl know how she truly felt about her transformation into such a mongrel of youkai bloods, never tell the girl how it disgusted her.

_'She's so beautiful,' _was Inuyasha's first awestruck thought. He had always thought Kagome beautiful and- contrary to popular belief not because he thought she resembled Kikyo. He knew very well that Kagome was a totally different person than Kikyo, especially now, after experiencing the sting of Kikyo's betrayal and the unexpected balm of Kagome's choice to stay with him, even when he seemed to have chosen the undead miko over her. But now, seeing her, smelling her, sensing her for the first time as a youkai, struck him as solidly as if he had been punched by a fist. And it shocked the very breath from his lungs as well. For as much as he knew that a worthless, faithless hanyou like himself didn't deserve her kindness or love- if he dared to admit to himself that yes, he knew she loved him- he desired her more than nearly anything else.

Kikyo was dead. Inuyasha knew this. The shell that walked the earth wearing her face, living off the souls of dead girls, was not the same woman he had once loved. He knew that as well. And as he had accepted that the Kikyo that roamed the earth now was an abomination, a thing that did not belong among the living, so had he accepted that his love for the priestess who sealed him was equally as dead. No one else seemed to realize that he returned to Kikyo when she called him purely out of duty.

As far as Inuyasha saw it, Kikyo had died for him. For that, he owed it to her to see to it that her killer met justice- Naraku, as he had eventually discovered. He owed it to her to repay that sacrifice...and once he had sworn to her to repay that sacrifice by following her to hell. Now he longed for nothing so much as he did to be released from that vow, so that he could build a life with the girl who had so selflessly given him her heart...Kagome, who was not Kikyo. Kagome, who loved him as a hanyou, who never tried to change him, who wanted nothing more than to make him happy. Kagome, whom he loved.

And now she had chosen to become youkai like him- he could not believe it. He couldn't stop staring at her. She was utterly beautiful. Sitting there cuddling the child she seemed to have made her own, seemingly oblivious to his amazement at her. He swallowed dryly, overwhelmed. Because suddenly he could see a future where the child she cuddled had his silvery hair and dog ears, a future he had never dared to imagine before, because it seemed it was hopeless that he- a worthless, vile, disgusting _half-breed_- could ever have that. Suddenly he was struck by the possibility that he might just be able to.

And that possibility frightened him more than any demon ever could.


	4. Youkai Lessons

Mated Circle

11/03/'04

**Chapter Four: Youkai Lessons**

That night, Kagome found it hard to sleep in Kaede's hut. The sounds and smells of the village were distracting her to the point where she could not get to sleep. Finally, she got up and carried her sleeping bag- and Shippo, sleeping soundly- in her arms as she walked out of the hut into the night.

Following her instincts, she made her way to the _Go-shinboku_- the God Tree- where she knew Inuyasha was likely to be sleeping. She stood at the base of the tree trunk and gazed up into its branches, spotting the scarlet-clad hanyou lounging on a branch in the upper reaches. He didn't seem to notice her, so she figured he was likely already asleep for the night.

Smiling slightly, she jumped gracefully up into the tree. Finding a likely branch about twenty feet below her hanyou friend and slightly to the side, she tucked her sleeping bag, which she had opened out like a comforter, into a tight, warm cocoon around herself and Shippo, and settled down to try to fall asleep. Lulled by the quiet night sounds of the forest and the rhythmic beat of her kit's heart and his breathing, she quickly found her way to the land of Nod.

Higher in the tree, Inuyasha waited until his friend's heartbeat slowed and settled into the rhythms of sleep before opening his golden eyes to look down at her and the smallest member of his haphazard pack. His lips curled slightly into a small smile as he gazed at the picture they made, bundled up together in the dark blue fabric of Kagome's sleeping bag. He could barely make out the lump that represented Shippo, cradled safely in Kagome's arms against her stomach. Inuyasha felt a strange sense of rightness as he looked at the young miko-demoness and her kit, dreaming securely below him.

He had woken earlier to the scent of Kagome coming towards him; sweet sakura and heady spring rain overlaid with kitsune spiciness, inu muskiness, and ookami sharpness; replete with drowsiness and unrest. As she approached the God Tree he had also noticed Shippo's scent, fresh and a little spicy in the manner of kitsune, with that distinctive tang of slightly lemony, grassy aroma that always marked the tiny fox-demon. He had contented himself to be still and silent, and make no sign of his awareness, listening to her movements as she leapt up into the tree and found herself a perch not far from his own. She had fallen asleep quickly enough, and then he had taken the opportunity to look his fill at her slumbering form. He had always liked to watch her as she slept, finding her sleeping visage to be extremely calming and relaxing.

As his eyes fell on her newly multi-hued hair and canine ears, he let out a slow sigh, reminded of her new status as a youkai part-breed once again. He frowned slightly. He knew she would need to be taught how to use her new abilities; instincts could only take her so far. He could teach her to hunt and to track using her new senses, and some basic fighting moves; he grinned slightly as he contemplated the thought of instructing her like a newborn pup.

Then he frowned again, his eyes falling on the Shippo-lump. The fox kit didn't know much about how to use his own inborn abilities, and he also didn't know much about how to fight. He was good enough with his foxfire and his illusions- though both could still use some major improvement. But he had no idea how to utilize his natural weaponry. Inuyasha scowled as he realized that he was the only one in the group who could rectify the kit's lack of knowledge, and so it was his own responsibility to do so. But he had been too stubborn and allowed the kit's mischievous nature to distract him from his lack of knowledge. Shippo loved to annoy him, and Inuyasha allowed himself to react immaturely to the little fox's taunts and teases.

But Inuyasha was a grown youkai, even if he was only a half-demon, and Shippo was just a pup. Inuyasha was the leader of Shippo's pack, and it was his responsibility to provide for the kit, protect him, and see to it that he would eventually be able to provide for and protect himself. Even if Shippo didn't want to accept his leadership- which was obvious in the way he was constantly challenging him.

Unfortunately, Kagome had only made things worse by spoiling Shippo and coddling him, and protecting him from Inuyasha's punishments. Inuyasha himself hadn't helped matters either, though; he had treated Shippo more like a rival than a disobedient subordinate. He hadn't reinforced his dominance, which he should have- and could have if he had reacted in the instinctive ways his youkai side had always preferred.

But Inuyasha hadn't paid attention to his instincts when he should have. And now there was going to be trouble- he could see it coming. And he would probably have to explain all of this to Kagome, too- because she, new-come to her own youkai instincts, wouldn't understand them right away either. And she had to start paying attention to her own status in their pack, as well- she was obviously the lead female, and so she was responsible for taking care of the others, too. Her duties were different and less than Inuyasha's own, but still important. And soon, he figured, her instincts would start clamoring for her to honor those responsibilities, and it would only confuse and distress her if she didn't know why. Inuyasha would have to teach her.

The young inu-hanyou sighed deeply, scowling unhappily at his train of thought. _'This is going to be a great big mess,'_ he thought morosely. But he couldn't hold back his smile as he watched his pack members snoozing contently away below him. His last thought before he drifted off to join them in their comatose state was that it was going to be fun to teach the two how to use their youkai abilities.

Kagome awoke the next morning to the sound of Shippo's startled yelp. "Whassamatter?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Kagome-mama! We're in a tree!" squealed the young fox-demon.

"Oh, yeah," she said, recalling how she had moved the two of them to the _Go-shinboku_ late the night before. "I know."

"Oh," Shippo said, her lack of excitement calming him considerably. He yawned a few times, licking his chops like a cat, and then turned his big green eyes to Kagome. "What's for breakfast, Kagome-mama?" he asked, patting his empty little belly with a hungry look on his face.

She smiled at him, amused, as she unwrapped the heavy cover of her sleeping bag from around them and then prepared to jump out of the tree. "I don't know yet, sweetie," she told the small kitsune. "We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" she said with a smile.

"Why don't you hunt for your breakfast?" came the unexpected voice of Inuyasha. It startled Kagome so much that the mixed-breed demoness lost her balance and fell out of the tree, taking the demon child with her. They both yelped in surprise and fear as they plummeted through the air towards the ground. Inuyasha sighed, rolled his eyes, and jumped down to catch them in his arms before they hit the earth.

"Oof!" Kagome, wide-eyed, looked up at her hanyou rescuer as they landed safely on the forest floor, ensconced in his strong embrace. "Inuyasha!"

"Good morning," replied the half-demon, hiding his amusement. His golden eyes sparkled with secret mirth, and his lips twitched slightly. "Sleep well?"

"Yes, um, fine," Kagome said, captivated by the hanyou's intense gaze. She only looked away, a slight blush dusting her cheeks, when Shippo's squirming distracted her and broke the spell. "What did you say about hunting?"

"You're a youkai, Kagome," Inuyasha replied somewhat smugly. "You can- and should- hunt for your food. Now's as good a time to start as any. In fact, Shippo really ought to be learning this, too." His eyes moved down to fix on the wide-eyed little boy. "He ought to come along and observe, at least."

"You- you're going to teach me to hunt?" squeaked the fox-child excitedly. "Really?"

"Both of you should learn," said the hanyou. His eyes narrowed sternly. "Since it's my duty as pack leader to make sure everyone in the pack is fed, and to make sure the pups learn to hunt, it's my responsibility to see to it. Kagome, you're new to all this, but I really ought to have been taking you out to hunt with me before this, runt." He smirked at the two and then looked Kagome in the eye. "You think you're up to it?"

"Of course!" Kagome replied indignantly, but she was distracted by what he had said about being the 'pack leader.' "You're the pack leader? What does that mean?" she asked curiously.

"When you and I joined forces," he explained with unusual patience, "we became the start of a new pack. With each new member that joined, our pack has grown stronger. But you and I- we've been neglecting our duties as leaders. It's excusable in your case because, as a human, you couldn't be expected to know about youkai social customs. But I should have known better. My only excuse is that I grew up alone, not as part of a pack- like I should have." He dropped his eyes to the ground, ashamed. "I haven't been a very good pack leader. But I aim to change that."

Kagome, shocked by Inuyasha's demeanor and behavior, only nodded silently. It hadn't really occurred to her that their group was a pack. It also hadn't occurred to her that they were the leaders of that pack. She looked down at Shippo, who was looking at the inu-hanyou with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Anyway, the two of you need to learn to hunt, and I'm the only one available to teach you," Inuyasha sighed. "So let's get to it."

An hour later, Kagome had managed to catch herself two rabbits. Inuyasha had brought down a young buck, which Shippo had been excited to help him flush by using his foxfire. The threesome took their catch over to the nearby river to clean and prepare the carcasses. There, Inuyasha demonstrated on one of Kagome's rabbits and then had her repeat the process on the other. Once the two small animals had been skinned, washed, and gutted, the hanyou instructed the two younger demons to pay attention as he processed the deer. Having prepared their catch, they hauled the slaughtered animals back to the village, where Sango and Miroku helped them dress and then cook the meat. The rabbits were finished first, and Kagome shared one with Shippo while Sango and Kilala ate the second. Inuyasha and Miroku waited for the deer meat to finish roasting, which the hanyou had sliced into smaller portions with his claws.

After finishing their breakfast, and saving some of the left-over deer meat for Kaede to use later that night in her stew, Inuyasha told Kagome they were going back out to work on her scent-tracking, which had shown to be fairly advanced during their hunt that morning. Shippo came along as well. The hanyou led the miko and kit to a large clearing in the forest, not far from the clearing that housed the well. Then, he began working with the two less-experienced youkai again, teaching them how to follow trails using their noses and how to track targets similarly.

He made it into a game, having them wait while he left a trail of his own scent around the meadow and then hiding a piece of cloth he had used to clean blood off his hands after butchering his catch that morning. Then he told them to follow the trail and find the soiled cloth. Kagome was good at the game; she unerringly managed to follow his trails, even when he played tricks that would have stumped him when he was first learning to track. Shippo was much slower than Kagome, but he had a keener nose; he never deviated from the tracks, and always went straight to the hiding place at the end of the trail even when Kagome had had to spend time looking around. Finally he was satisfied that the two had done enough tracking for one day, and went on to show them some ways to hide their own scents and tracks.

It was late afternoon by the time the three youkai finished their day's training. Kagome, feeling sweaty and dirty, took Shippo to have a bath in the river. Inuyasha followed, making sure to stay downwind and hidden, to guard them while they were vulnerable and distracted by their water games. He perched in a tree, facing away from the river so he didn't see anything he wasn't supposed to see. He was nervous about leaving her alone in the forest, especially now that she had become youkai, when she still didn't really know how to protect herself. Even with Shippo there to protect her, he preferred to keep watch over the young miko demoness himself.

As he sat in the tree, he pondered weapons. He feared Kagome was going to need a guardian weapon sooner than later, and she also needed a weapon suitable for close-range combat. Her bow and arrows was all very well and good, so long as her opponents stayed far enough away; but they were no good for melee fighting. Shippo needed a weapon to carry as well. The little fox was handy with his tricks and toys, but he had nothing to fight with physically. But getting Kagome a sealing weapon was top-priority. Her youkai blood was strong, and her instincts were somewhat more likely to overwhelm her rational mind than Inuyasha's were. That needed to be prevented right away. They would have to plan a trip to see Toutousai, and it needed to be sooner than later. Shard-hunting would have to wait for the nonce.

Kagome and Shippo finally finished their bath, and Inuyasha sprinted back to Kaede's in the hopes of beating them there so they would not know he had followed them to the river. He knew he would feel the pain of the Sit command if Kagome got it into her head that he had spied on her bathing, and he preferred to avoid that at all costs. He hated being subdued by the rosary more than anything else Kagome did to him- every time it happened, it made him feel like a pet of some kind. And it hurt like anything to be slammed into the ground face-first like that, anyway. It was the most undignified thing that ever happened to him; being subdued in front of his subordinates- and occasionally his enemies- was so embarrassing the very thought of it made him cringe. But the rosary tied him to Kagome- it marked him as hers, and allowed his passage through the Dry Well to her time. He wouldn't give it up for anything.

He arrived at Kaede's hut only a few minutes before Kagome and Shippo. Sango and Miroku appeared around the same time, Sango having been working on maintaining her exterminating gear out behind the hut while Miroku wandered around the village gossiping with the inhabitants. Kaede served up the evening's meal, a hearty stew of deer-meat and root vegetables, and they ate. Inuyasha scarfed his stew quickly and quietly, wanting to get back outside where his nose was not overwhelmed by the smell of Kaede's herbs. Kagome and Shippo chatted with Sango and the houshi, talking about everything they had done that day. Shippo excitedly gave a detailed description of their tracking games and everything to a rapt Miroku, while Kagome and Sango shared tips about following trails, which Sango had learned from her people, though she was obviously handicapped by her human senses. Kaede stayed quiet, listening and observing everything that was being said. Finally Inuyasha finished his meal and quickly left to perch atop the hut, keeping watch over his small pack, as he often did.

Back inside, Kagome watched as the crimson-clad half-demon left the hut, wondering what he was up to. With a sigh, she turned back to listen to Miroku, who was now relaying the day's gossip from the villagers to the rest of the group. Her attention remained with the absent hanyou, though she tried diligently to pay attention to her friends. He had acted so unlike his usual self that day. How long would this 'kinder, gentler' Inuyasha last? Was it a permanent change, or would he soon be back to his rude, crude self?

She hoped not; she vastly preferred the way he had acted that day to the way things had been before she had made her wish. He had been more open and more talkative that day than he had ever been with her before. Not even on his human nights had he smiled or laughed so freely in her presence. She hoped to see that beautiful, toothy grin, and hear that loud, free laugh again, and often. He was beautiful when he laughed, and it made her love him more than ever.

As she retired that night, back up in the tree with her sleeping bag tucked around her tightly and Shippo curled up against her stomach, she contemplated the day's happenings. She sighed softly and closed her eyes, praying silently that things would remain good for at least a little while before they had to deal with rampaging demons and Shikon shards again. Just as she was falling asleep, she smelled Inuyasha nearby, and her last thought before drifting off was that he was there, as always, to keep them safe through the night. She fell asleep with a smile.


End file.
